


Another Story Left Unfinished

by ineedmentalassistance (orphan_account)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Wartime Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:34:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22041880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/ineedmentalassistance
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

“James and Lily Potter. Fabian and Gideon Prewett. The McKinnons. Alice and Frank Longbottom. They knew what they were getting into.”

Mad-Eye got up, knocking over his chair. He began pacing around the room, his magical eye whizzing around in his socket.

“Everyone of them knew that they could die. They knew the risks.”

Mad-Eye turned to glare out the window.

“The ones who died are better off than the ones living. For us, the war is still going on.”

“I want to be a part of it. I want to help fight.”

“It’s not as simple as that, lass. You’re practically asking for death.”

“What about all the others in the Order? Or are they special enough to join and not face death?” Tonks asked, sarcastically. Moody’s eye came to glare at her from the side of his head.

“They’re not any less likely to die than you are.”

“So I see no reason why I can’t join. I’m a fucking Auror, I’m supposed to fight dark stuff! How many others in the Order are Aurors?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Oh, so it’s something I can know only if I join, isn’t it?”

“Tonks-”

“If you want, I’ll go buy myself a body bag. It’ll be the prettiest damn body bag you’ve ever seen.”

“Tonks, I’ll-”

“Or do you want me to bring a coffin instead? What colour do you want it in?”

“Tonks, I’ll ask Dumbledore about it. Give me a week. Think about it.”

Tonks stood up. "Good enough."

Exactly a week later, Tonks apparated to Mad-Eye's doorstep. "I'm ready to risk my life to fight the You Know Who and his allies."

The door swung open and Tonks stumbled back, narrowly avoiding a bloody nose. "Watch it, Mad-Eye."

She got herself onto her feet and dusted off her cloak. "Am I in or not?"

Mad-Eye looked at her with a strange expression on his grotesque face. It looked as if he was trying to look pissed.

“You’re in. Let’s go.”

Tonks was spat out onto the hard, damp sidewalk.

“Ow, do you have to be that pushy?”

“Being in the Order is tough, you wanna back out?”

Tonks scrambled onto her feet. “No way!”

Moody grinned, his scars stretching in the most unfriendly way. He fished a grimy piece of parchment out of his cloak. “Read and memorize quickly.”

Tonks looked at the messy handwriting.

_ The Headquarters of the Order of Phoenix may be found at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London. _

“Twelve? I only see eleven and-” Tonks raised an eyebrow. “Ah, okay.”


	2. Chapter 2

_ Once, Tonks went to a muggle Halloween carnival with her dad. After a shit ton of candy corn and chocolate, Tonks had practically begged her father to let her go inside the haunted house. It was this 4-meter black house with darkened windows and huge cobwebs and spiders and boxes that would randomly open and have things jump out on you. Tonks had to be carried out in hysterics. _

That was what Tonks was seeing right now, except it was almost 10-meters tall and not inflated. It was huge, black and had the look of a once-neglected place. Tonks wondered why anyone would live here. It looked horrible.

“Are we supposed to go inside?” Tonks asked, fingering her wand. Mad-Eye glared at Tonks from the back of his head. 

“Feeling scared already? You can’t drop out now, it’s too late.”

“No, I’m just wondering if it has to be so… boring. Don’t look at me like that, I know it’s the Order. But should I expect a red carpet to roll out? Will I get a fanfare if I open that door? Will I go down a waterslide if I step somewhere?”

“No, it’s just a fucking door.”

“You Order people have no fun.”

Tonks opened the door and found herself in darkness. 

“ _ Lumos. _ ”

Tonks looked around. “Damn, this place looks like shit. Is it a disguise? Is there a ball pit somewhere?”

“Shut up and follow me.”

“Ooh, mysterious.”

Tonks looked at the walls. “That’s a lot of windows.”

“I thought I told you to shut up.”

“Heyy, these aren’t windows! They’re pictures. Neat.”

“Shut up,” Mad-Eye hissed. “You’ll wake up the pictures.”

“Meow to you too.”

Tonks fell over an umbrella stand. Swearing, she dragged the heavy object back into its place.

“I sure hope that’s made of plastic. It looks fuckin’ disgusting.”

“Better watch that smart mouth of yours, young lady.”

“Sirius!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a while...


	3. Chapter 3

Remus Lupin was nice. He was kind.

He was also unbelievably charming.

He had light brown hair. His green eyes had these specks of gold that could only be seen if you stared closely (which Tonks has done on many occasions, much to her embarrassment). His hair had bits of gray that showed when Remus ran a hand through it. Scars ran across his face, long ones that crinkled when Remus smiled. 

He was smart. Tonks wondered why he bothered working the jobs that he did (which were all low-paying and tiresome) when he could be so many other things. He would’ve easily made it into Auror ranks. Or he could’ve worked for the ministry. Instead, he jumped from one odd-job to another, often confusing Tonks whenever she brought up a conversation about work.

There was something different about him. He was often sick, at least once a month. That time would leave him with new scars and injuries that he tried so hard to cover (Tonks had accidentally seen a few when Remus was stretching). He would disappear every few weeks and return tired and hungry. Tonks wondered why.

He seemed more aloof at these times of the month, Tonks would only receive small smiles or confused looks when she talked to him, usually, he would laugh or at least grin at her bad jokes. 

Other than that, Tonks thought he was amazing. He had a bookish personality. He was quiet and intuitive and quite unlike herself. He noticed tiny things about other people that a normal person wouldn’t have been able to spot (did you know that you have an ink stain on your shoulder?).

He was skilled with a wand. He could do a bit of wandless magic and excelled in non-verbal spells. Tonks wondered what he did in his free time, did he practise summoning his wand when he was too tired to move? Summoning and lifting were the only things Tonks could do without her wand. Remus could block and attack. He excelled when duelling.

He was modest too. Not to the point where it gets annoying.

There didn’t seem to be a good thing that Remus wasn’t.

* * *

Tonks was fun.

She smiled a lot. Whenever Remus saw her, she was smiling. Remus wondered how she could be so happy all the time.

Her hair could be any colour she wanted it to be. Most of the time, it was pink. Blonde when she got tired. Brown when she was feeling down. She could also have it in different styles. Ringlets. Short and spikey. Long and straight. She could even get it untangled without raising a comb. Her eyes were brown and chocolatey-looking. She had a pale, heart-shaped face. Remus wondered if this was her real face. With her, she could look like anything.

She was smart. After all, she was an Auror (top marks in Concealment and Disguise, it was great) and one of the youngest in the department. She had passed her N.E.W.T.S with flying colours. She had brains, if not grace. She kept tripping and knocking things over. But brains she had for sure.

It seemed as if she  _ wanted _ to be different. The way she kept her hair bright, even though her superiors (at the office) didn't approve. The way she was so outspoken and passionate about things (shut up, you wouldn't understand!) and the way she went by her own rules and wasn't afraid to criticize someone (if she thought they needed it). No wonder Mad-Eye liked her so much.

Tonks liked to tell a certain story, Remus didn’t mind hearing it over and over again. It was the one about her first day at training Tonks looked at Mad-Eye and started giggling like mad.

_ “I’m going to drive you mad! Oh wait, you already are!” _

That was why Mad-Eye liked Tonks so much, Tonks made fun of him on the first day.

_ Classy. _

Tonks was unafraid to say something about someone (as long as it was true), even if it might offend that person. She was direct and truthful, you could ask her to give you her opinion on something and assume that it was true since she rarely lied. She got along easily with the rest of the order, sliding in and out of conversations without being awkward. She brightened the somewhat dull meetings. Remus liked seeing her around.

She duelled skilfully. Her petite frame allowed her to dodge spells and to hide. She could easily shoot spells at someone, and she often could do so faster than the others she was with (which sometimes provided for a bragging point, fair enough). She could aim with precision and react quickly. She appeared to prefer to fight in groups, but she still held up when battling one on one.

She had a smart mouth. She cussed frequently, often earning her looks from Molly.

But she was a good girl. Innocent. She didn’t know that she was being watched by Remus. Remus, who could notice tiny details.  _ Stalked. _

Remus, a monster.

Tonks was being stalked by a monster.

But she didn’t know.

Remus intended to keep it that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uwu another chapter done.


	4. Chapter 4

“Nervous?”

Tonks’s hair is violet tonight. It makes her look peaky but Remus doesn’t mention that.

“I just hope he remembers me.”

“It’s gonna be fine, mate.”

* * *

The Dursleys had just left. Harry was lying alone, his door locked. He intended for it to stay that way.

Usually, when the Dursleys went out, Harry would celebrate. He would flick through the channels on the TV or play a game on Dudley’s computer, only pausing to sneak something from the fridge. Now, Harry was lying on his bed, alone with his thoughts. 

The note said to “stay put”. Why? The ministry would be around soon, he was going to be expelled from Hogwarts, how was he supposed to “stay put”?. 

Right, he was also not supposed to surrender his wand. How was he supposed to do that? They could easily just stun him. 

Footsteps?

Harry didn’t know why there would be footsteps already. The Dursley’s had just left, they couldn’t have possibly returned that fast.

Something smashed. A load of swearing. The footsteps were getting louder.

Intruders? But then, they would keep quiet and refrain from breaking plates. Definitely not a band of robbers. Harry brought out his wand and pointed it at the door. He was going to get expelled, so what if he used magic again?

_ Alohomora. _

* * *

“Professor Moody?”

“Don’t know about the  _ professor  _ part. Never got round to teaching, did I?”

“Professor Lupin?”

“Hello, Harry.”

“Oh, he looks just as I expected him to!”

* * *

“You good?”

“Yeah, my fingers are still numb from all that flying.”

Tonks flexed her hands. “You?”

“I’m wondering how the Dursleys will react to Harry’s disappearance.”

“Mate, it’s going to be fine. Stop worrying.”


	5. Chapter 5

"Remus, let's go. We're gonna get Harry."

Remus looked up from his spot on the ground where he had been scratching at moments before.

"Already? Is he in danger?"

"Obviously."

"Where's Sirius? He should know."

"Yeah, the thing is that he also went to go save Harry. Without us."

Remus jumped up to his feet. "Let's get going."

* * *

Tonks ran down the corridor, following Mad-Eye’s cloak. Remus ran after her, turning and skidding to a stop, then running and almost getting lost until he heard Tonks’s voice calling him from one side of the hall. 

Remus watched Tonks’s white-blond hair fly behind her as she skidded around a corner. Her hair was longer than usual and came to a stop at her elbows, just below the hood of her travelling cloak. Her heavy boots made loud, clunking sounds as she ran, yet they didn’t seem to slow her down. 

She was agile when she wanted to. When she wasn’t concentrating on not messing up.

She was too young for such a dangerous mission. Much too young. Yet it was she who threw open the doors to the Department of Mysteries and ran into battle.

* * *

Remus had held Harry when he was a baby. After much pressing from Lily, he had taken the tiny creature into his arms and watched as Harry waved his tiny fists at him. He didn’t have a scar back then. His soft, black hair framed his smooth, round face.

And now, he was holding him again but for a different reason.

Harry struggled against Remus, thrashing and kicking. Remus tightened his grip around Harry and watched, horror-struck as his best friend’s body entered the translucent veil and curved upwards, dissolving into nothing.

Harry screamed and elbowed Remus in the ribs. Remus gasped in pain and let go of Harry.

Remus sprinted towards the veil and pulled Harry back from the mist. Harry glared at him, pulling away from his grip, screaming. Remus pulled him back from the veil and pushed him into the corner.

“It’s over, Harry,” he said, voice cracking. “He’s gone.”

Harry screamed and slumped to the floor.

* * *

They gathered back at Grimmauld Place, with Molly treating their small wounds. It was emptier without the presence of Sirius and Tonks (who was rushed to St. Mungo’s after sustaining a head injury). Remus sat slumped on the table, a mug of hot chocolate in his hands. He stared at the murky brown liquid, not drinking. Numb.

“I’m sorry, Remus.”

Remus saw Arthur Weasley from the corner of his eye. “It’s fine.”

“You two were close, weren’t you?”

“Yes.”

But no one would understand  _ how _ close they were. Sirius had been Remus’s closest companion for the two short years that they had been together for. Sirius was the one who insisted that they (James, himself and Peter) become animagi to keep Remus in company. He had also been the first one to find out about his condition and to successfully transform.

Now that Sirius was gone, Remus felt lost.

* * *

“Remus,” a pair of hands clapped in his face. “You good, mate?”

Remus looked at Tonks without emotion. Just staring. Tonks let a small laugh escape her lips.

“Who am I kidding, of course, you’re not okay.”

She was talking to herself. She sat down beside Remus and started picking at her chipped nail polish.

“I don’t get too close to people,” she began. Blunt.

Remus listened.

“I mean, my parents, I have to talk to them. Sirius was my cousin, but we barely knew each other. Most of the Order and the people in my office at work think of me as the child.”

“I don’t think you’re a child.”

“Sweet of you, but I don’t want sympathy.”

Remus closed his mouth, wondering why she was telling him all this. He certainly didn’t ask, although he didn’t mind Tonks talking to him. 

“I love my parents, but they always try and convince me to give up my job. They tell me that it’ll get me killed as if I didn’t know that.”

“I think you’re being brave doing what you’re doing.”

Tonks’s hair flashed red for a moment, then faded into a muted magenta.

“I said, I’m not looking for sympathy. I’m just making my point.”

Remus felt a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He allowed himself a small smile. “Go on.”

“The thing is, I don’t get to close to anyone, and sometimes it’s lonely. Sometimes, like right now, I’m grateful.”

She picked up Remus’s scarred hand, Remus flushed but Tonks didn’t seem to find anything wrong with the simple action.

“I can’t even try to guess how you’re feeling right now, with the loss of Sirius. I know he meant a lot to you, so if you want someone to listen or to cry on or to punch, I’ll be there.”

Remus swelled with emotion. “Thank you, Tonks, this means a lot to me.”

“I mean it. If you want to punch me now, I’m fine with it.”

“I think I’m good. Thank you.”

“You can call me Dora,” she blushed, standing up. “It’s what my dad calls me, I’d like it if you also called me that. You don’t have to.”

She had patted him on the shoulder before scurrying off to help Molly. Remus watched as she spilled a bottle of antiseptic. He swore that she winked at him.

Sirius’s death had torn a large chunk from Remus’s life. Although Sirius is gone from this world, at least Remus has another friend to rely on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a while to make.  
> *coughs*


End file.
